Mick Glossop and Mark Rose join Music Producers Guild (UK) board

UK: Recording engineer, producer and mixer Mick Glossop and engineer/studio manager Mark Rose are among the latest additions to the board of directors at the Music Producers Guild (UK). The organisation - established to promote and represent all individuals in the music production and recording sectors - has also appointed producer, engineer and occasional PSNE contributor Haydn Bendall to the role of vice-chairman, writes David Davies.

UK: Recording engineer, producer and mixer Mick Glossop and engineer/studio manager Mark Rose are among the latest additions to the board of directors at the Music Producers Guild (UK). The organisation - established to promote and represent all individuals in the music production and recording sectors - has also appointed producer, engineer and occasional PSNE contributor Haydn Bendall to the role of vice-chairman, writes David Davies.

The four new additions to the MPG board have enviable histories in the recording and production sectors. Lloyd Cole, Frank Zappa and, most enduringly, Van Morrison are among the artists to have enlisted the services of Mick Glossop, while recording/mix engineer Mark Rose is the studio manager of Deep Recording Studios and founder of the Deep Recording Trust. Katia Isakoff has progressed from singer/songwriter to music producer, remixer, manager and performer working with the likes of ADD N TO (X) and Barry Adamson. She is currently managing director of Hairpin and co-editor of Journal on the Art of Record Production (JARP). Mark Thorley spent many years in studio management and commercial music production before becoming involved in the education sector, a path that has led to his current position as manager of the Music and Creative Technologies Programme at Coventry University.

New vice-chairman Haydn Bendall has been a member of MPG since 2005. His many credits as an engineer and producer include XTC, Kate Bush, Paul McCartney and Sting, while he is also a familiar face on the college and university lecture circuit.

Mark Rose tells PSN-e: "It's a strong organisation that recognises the real value and skills of today's recording engineers and producers, and I sincerely hope my recent election contributes to the many key future aims of the MPG."

_I_m hoping to help promote all of the endeavours that the MPG is involved with,_ says Mick Glossop. _One of the main priorities will be to widen the membership in terms of drawing in more working producers, and to provide a venue for discussion about issues of common interest and general communication between producers. We generally work individually and it can often be the case that we only encounter each other in studio corridors._

Glossop also highlights changing methods of payment as another focus of future MPG activity. _It is possible that producers might end up not getting royalties if artists give away their recordings as promotional marketing exercises,_ he suggests. _The whole way that producers receive renumeration for what they do is under question._

"This is a time of great opportunity for everyone involved in making music," commented MPG chairman Mike Howlett. "As an organisation, we are keen to ensure that the producer's contribution to the creative process is not only recognised but also encouraged as a means of promoting the highest standards and values in both recording and artist development."

UK: The recording professionals who contribute so much to the UK's music industry will finally get the accolades they deserve thanks to a new initiative by the Music Producers Guild (UK), which will hold its first Awards ceremony in London next year.

UK: The second edition of the Music Producers Guild Awards took place at the Caf_ de Paris in London last week, writes Dave Robinson. Established to recognise the skills and talents of music recording professionals, the MPG Awards this year saw Paul Epworth receive the Producer of the Year award - and, as a result, the coveted BRIT Award for Best Producer.

UK: Thames Valley University (TVU) is marking the launch of its new Masters Degree in Record Production with a series of free public lectures. The Making Records guest lecture series constitutes a collaboration between the University's London College of Music and its 'business-facing arm', Future Showcase.

UK: 'The Loudness War - Mastering Abuse or Compression Paranoia?' was the thought-provoking title of an event organised by the Music Producers Guild (MPG) recently. Held at London's Alchemy Studios, the seminar featured presentations and a Q&A session that drew on the input of Mick Glossop, Tony Platt, Ray Staff and Tim Young, reports David Davies.